Discover Austin, Minnesota Director Nancy Schnable presented the Austin Convention and Visitors Bureau’s 2018 annual report to the Austin City Council during its regular meeting on Monday, May 6, during National Tourism Week.

According to the report, City Lodging Tax revenue for 2018 was $183,392.95, a $23,812.37 year-over-year increase from 2017.

“The numbers are pretty strong that our occupancy levels are going up here in Austin,” Schnable told the council.

City Lodging Tax revenue includes lodging from AmericInn, Holiday Inn, Days Inn, Rodeway Inn and Suites, EconoLodge, Super 8, Elam House and Peter Plunkets AirBnB. It does not include other Austin AirBnB lodging facilities.

The report states Discover Austin welcomed 163 tour and travel groups in 2018, bringing a total of 5,212 travelers that paid local attractions nearly $30,000 in admission fees. The top states for groups outside Minnesota were Iowa, California, North and South Dakota, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Missouri, New York, North Carolina and Hawaii.

About 25,000 Austin Convention and Visitors Bureau 2018 Visitors Guides were printed. Of that number, Schnable said less than 200 are left. Requests for guides came from 48 states, with most coming from Minnesota, Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa and Texas. Discover Austin also received requests from 31 countries, with Brazil, Russia and India being the top countries for requests.

The report states 76,381 people visited www.AustinMn.com, an increase of 6,729 from 2017. In addition, Discover Austin had 1,709 subscribers to its weekly newsletter, 2,856 followers on Facebook, 459 followers on Twitter and 244 followers on Instagram in 2018.

Schnable also highlighted several accolades received by Austin in 2018. They included:

• Recognition of Austin/Mower County by Reader’s Digest and “Good Morning America” as one of the 2018 Nicest Places in America;

• Southern MN Scene naming Piggy Blues BBQ the Best BBQ in its Best of Awards;

• Irishtimes.com mentioning the Spam Museum in the article “Now we know where are the Best Food Museums in the World;”

• National Geographic highlighting the Spam Museum in the article “Factory Bound: 15 Great Family Vacations:”

• BookBub.com listing Sweet Reads in “The Ultimate List of Local Bookstores: 51 Must-See Bookstores Across the US;”

• The Alliance for a Healthier Generation naming Sumner Elementary School as one of “America’s Healthiest Schools” for the second year in a row;

• QSR Magazine placing Austin in the “Top 20 Markets to Open a Quick-Service Restaurant;” and

• Austin’s selection to host the 2019 Governors Pheasant Hunt Opener this October.